ILS has made me whatever I am today.

“ILS has made me whatever I am today. It is an amazing place to nurture, learn, observe and grow as an individual.”- Adv. Arpit Ratan

Arpit Ratan is the partner of OJAS Legal, he is a law enthusiast who believes in change. He has obtained a Masters degree from Pune University specializing in Business laws along with Professional Level in Company Secretaries. He has worked in the M & A team of a Mumbai based corporate law firm. He currently advises clients on company matters, securities laws, debt transactions, investment, acquisitions, corporate restructuring etc.

You have left your job at a corporate law firm and started your own law firm? What prompted you to do so? Did you always want to start your own firm or the entrepreneur bug bit you later?

You can’t plan these things, but I always wanted to do more than I could in my job. I had certain ideas, which are difficult to implement when you are working for a big law firm. Though, I was very lucky to have a good boss. It was the training that I got in in my first job which gave me the confidence to start on my own so early. Largely, the decision to start my own firm was driven by the desire to change the way our profession works and bring about creativity, innovation and energy into legal services.

Do you think you have made a right decision on starting up? What challenges did you face when you were starting up?

I don’t know if it’s the right decision, too early to say. Initial years are very challenging. It’s difficult to convince businesses to hire you at the age of 24, when advocates start flourishing after 40. But our commitment and dedication to work has enabled us to gain confidence and trust of many businesses today. You need to work hard to change perceptions, make businesses see advocates in a different light.

Of course in our profession there is hardly anyone starting this early, so there are very few business models to follow and you are directionless at times. You need to innovate and come up with new strategies. But it is very exciting; something which keeps us motivated every day.

Tell us something more about the kind of work you do at your firm? What are your growth plans and how do you think your firm is shaping up?

The firm was initially ARP Associates and now we have rebranded ourselves as OJAS Legal. We work in lot of areas, but the interesting part is working with startups, on laws which are in their primitive stage and areas where rapid change in technology is forcing lawmakers to innovate. The firm looks to team up with businesses and be a part of their growth story. We don’t look at ourselves as vendors but as partners for our clients.